


Grief Passes Into Quiet Tender Joy

by Rivermoon1970



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Love, New Beginnings, discussion of miscarriage, valentines day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 06:39:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13607706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivermoon1970/pseuds/Rivermoon1970
Summary: Harry and his wife Willa have had a difficult year. This Valentines day he wants to do something very special for her.





	Grief Passes Into Quiet Tender Joy

Harry had stopped at a small antique jewellery store that he had noticed on his way out of London one day after seeing Neville and Luna for a few hours. The ring he had found was beautiful. Antique gold with a setting of sapphire, topaz, and emerald. None of the stones was large, only a few millimetres round each. Harry wasn’t well versed on gems, and what they all meant or what sizes were appropriate, all he knew was it was beautiful, and he had to get it for his Willa. There were also some small diamond chips in a channel that went all around the band. The piece was old, but it called to Harry. He immediately bought it and had it gift wrapped.

The last year had been trying for the couple. It was always hard to lose a wanted child, but Willa had trouble form the beginning of the pregnancy. Harry was there for her as much as he could be, almost ignoring his own grief, his own needs until Willa called him out on his bullshit. Harry almost laughed at his own stubbornness as he walked to the nearest apparition point so that he could portkey home. 

Harry also had flowers, chocolates from Paul A Young’s chocolate shop, tea from East India Tea Company, a box of pastries from Crosstown Doughnuts, and a few movies that some of his female co-workers at the restaurant assured him that his wife would love. 

He was aware he might be going overboard, but Harry knew they had gotten over the worst of the last year and things were better than they were before. Smiling to himself Harry thought about the day when he had met the woman that would become his wife. Harry had been an angry, hard, jaded young man of only twenty years old. He left the Wizarding World and let himself disappear in London proper. He wanted away from everyone and everything that reminded him of the pain, fear, anger, betrayals, all of it. He needed a fresh start.

Thankfully the Goblins were very accommodating and changed some of his gold into Pounds. Opening an account under Hadrian James Black, after having accepted the Black titles, because the Goblins did not want the Black holdings to languish, they weren’t making them any money that way. Harry agreed to take over the trusts, and combine it all with the Potter family trusts. There were a few businesses that both the Potters and the Blacks had in the muggle world that were doing well, and Harry had wanted to find out more about them. 

He had sat down with an account manager, and for three days they went over everything. Harry divested the holdings of businesses that didn’t appeal to him or weren’t making any profits. They would be sold off and the money put into a trust for Teddy. Harry knew at the time that he wasn’t in any shape, mentally or physically, to take care of his Godson, but he had help from Neville and Luna. They had agreed to take Teddy in, on the condition that Harry came at the very least once a month to visit them and the boy. Harry decided it was probably the simplest request anyone had ever made of him.

It was on one of those visits that he had met Cherise Wilhelmina Stanhope, but call me Willa. She was one of Teddy’s tutors and utterly unimpressed with Hadrian James Black. Harry was immediately smitten. Here was someone who didn’t care who he was or where he came from. 

Harry then made every excuse he could to visit the Longbottoms so that he could get to know Willa better. What Harry had not realised in all those months was how Teddy and Willa were helping him to heal. It took almost three years for Harry to admit what he felt for the teacher, and when she reciprocated, they married just six months later. 

Being realistic, Harry knew they weren’t going to be perfect. He had nightmares that haunted him almost every night. It took time for them to start to fade, but they both knew that Harry would probably always have them. Willa was ever there to soothe them away, never complaining. 

They had their rows, combining households, bringing in-house elves that each of them had, what to do with that one room neither could agree on, fighting over furniture, and all the little things you find out about each other when you first start living together. But Harry could admit that he was having fun. No matter what happened, or how they fought, the two of them would end up laughing, or in bed for some very excellent make-up sex. 

When Willa had gotten pregnant, Harry was ecstatic. They both were, and everything looked like it was going along fine, till it wasn’t. After losing so much in his life, losing his first child was nearly the thing that almost completely destroyed Harry. He had retreated into himself and could often be found passed out in his office, a bottle of firewhiskey practically all consumed. 

It wasn’t until Draco Malfoy of all people had found him one day like that in an out of the way pub that catered to Magicals living in London. They fought, they yelled, they finally got it all out of their system and somehow ended up becoming friends. Draco pulled him out of his grief and forced him to talk to his wife. 

This was an anniversary of sorts for it was on the muggle Valentines Day that Harry and Willa began to heal, not just their marriage, but each individually. Harry knew it was probably sappy, but he wanted this day to be special.

Getting home he put down his briefcase, then resized all of the goodies he had brought home, did a little bit of magic to make the dining room and lounge special and festive, then went in search of his wife. 

“Darling, I’m home,” Harry called out as he searched for Willa.

“I’m up here, Sweetheart.”

Harry climbed the stairs and was greeted at the top by their cat, Midnight. Harry picked her up and found his wife in the nursery. She was standing there, a soft glow was lighting up her face as she touched the crib that had yet to be used. Harry and she had not had the heart to take it all down after Willa’s miscarriage, they wanted time to figure out what they were going to do. 

“What are you doing up here, Darling?” Harry wrapped around her from behind and held her close.

Willa had her wand in her hand and was changing the colour scheme of the room. 

“I wanted to see what it would look like with other colours. I’d love to get Luna in here and have her do one of her amazing murals.”

“I think that would be lovely.” Harry closed his eyes and kissed the side of Willa’s neck. He took time to be happy at the moment. “I love you.”

Willa turned in Harry’s arms, cupped his cheeks and smiled. 

“You alright, love?” 

“Just, the last year, we’ve been up and down, and I know some of that was my fault, but I just want you to know that I love you so much. You saved me, you know. I was terribly lost when I met you. I know I was running away from who I was. I didn’t want to be that boy anymore. I had so much anger, grief, depression, and fear inside me. But you, Cherise Wilhelmina Black, you didn’t give one whit who I was. It was the most refreshing, and beautiful gift you ever gave me.”

“Harry...” Willa leaned forward and kissed Harry softly. “You were just a person. From everything Neville had told me, you had never been treated as your own person before. It was easy to give that to you for you.”

Harry smiled and let the breath he had been holding go. 

“Come on, I have a surprise for you.” Harry took his wife’s hand and led her back downstairs. When they stepped off the last step, lights dimmed, soft music started to play, and candles in colourful jars lit up. Harry took Willa’s hand and began to dance her around the living room. 

“Hadrian James, what did you do?” Willa laughed as Harry turned and dipped her down just a little. 

“This is for you, for us. We have so much to look forward to, and for the first time in my life I am well and truly happy.”

Willa softly laughed as Harry kept dancing with her. When they stopped, he pulled the box out of his pocket and handed it to her. 

Willa opened it up and sucked in a breath.

“Harry, this is gorgeous.” Willa looked up with a smile on her face and a tear that had gathered in her eye.

“It called to me, here let me put it on.” Harry pulled the ring from the box and slipped it on her finger. It was a little big, but a quick charm spell and it resized to fit her perfectly. “Come on.” Harry pulled her towards the dining room where the flowers sat in all of their beautiful glory. 

On the longest wall of the room was a mural that Luna had done as a surprise for Harry. It was magic that she had created and became sought after by Witches and Wizards far and wide. Living murals, this one was of Hedwig flying on the backdrop of a beautiful forest. Harry loved it.

“Harry, these are beautiful. And you didn’t...” Willa’s eyes widened at the baker box sitting there waiting.

“I did. I know how much you love their doughnuts.”

“You didn’t have to do all this, Hadrian James.” Willa’s green eyes sparkled as she smiled a smile that Harry had not seen in far too long.

“Yes, I did.”

Willa blushed prettily, and Harry thought it was the best sight in the world. 

“You wanted to know why I was in the nursery.” Willa took a breath and reached over to hold Harry’s hand. “I was almost afraid to say anything, and I wanted to make sure everything was fine. I saw a healer today.”

“Willa?”

Squeezing Harry’s hand, Willa looked him right in the eye almost like she needed the courage.

“I’m pregnant, Harry.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” Harry stood up so fast that he upended his chair. Pulling Willa up he swooped her up in his arms and walked back to the lounge and settled them on the couch. Laying a hand on Willa’s stomach, he held them close. “And the doctors are sure everything is okay?”

Willa smiled that smile again and nodded.

“He said everything looked perfect.”

“How far along?”

“I’m almost fourteen weeks. When we get to sixteen, the doctor says we’ll be out of the scary range. I have a good feeling about this one.” Willa laid her hand over Harry’s and turned her head to kiss him.

“I do too, Wil. I do too.”

Harry spent the evening wooing and pampering his wife. They both deserved it. Harry, though, took a vow to always make his wife feel special. He looked around a moment as they stayed curled up on the couch together and knew what real happiness was. 


End file.
